@Gibraltar: Haha, I'm really surprised no one commissioned me to do one before (same with engine rooms or observation lounges, for that matter). After 4 years doing this full time it's 99% bridges. Spent the day modeling several dead ends for the final corner of the room. I thought about extending the sofa side table so that it curves along the wall, and I modeled several large props to fit into that place; but in the end I didn't like how any of them looked like. Here are the ones that I tried and got mostly done: a Sputnik sculpture loosely based on Soviet stuff, a Kal-toh set, and this weird sculpture. There were others but I deleted them in frustration. These I will keep but won't use on this set, maybe they'll be useful in a future room. In the end, I removed that whole new extended side table and went back to the rectangular one, and I just bit the bullet and modeled a somewhat passable Soyuz model, and I reused the stand of the Sputnik sculpture for it. I think now the room is indeed finished, there is some empty space there next to the table, but as it's just by the door it might as well be useful for when several people try to enter or exit the room at the same time. Unless I can think of something I'd like to put there, of course. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
An idea for an engine room popped into my head not long ago that I'd love to see take shape, though finances are a little tight right now unfortunately. Someday soon maybe.
Very nice! I spent some time looking through your portfolio because I'd forgotten what the Potemkin bridge looked like... you've really racked up an impressive number of sets over the past several years.
@cardinal biggles: Thanks! Yeah I gotta do something about the website, it's a bit hard to navigate with all the interiors it has, and there are some I don't even upload at this point! I plan on having a different site for specifically my personal projects (so, the Potemkin, Appalachia, Yeager, etc.), divided by ship and with more information on the design process for each room. It's just a matter of finding the time to make that a reality (and finding a name for it ). Took some unexpected time off due to personal issues and overall lack of energy. My partner had appendicitis late last month, luckily she quickly had the appendix removed; still, recovery was difficult and now she's out of job, meaning I'm again providing for both of us. Stress had already been piling up before and that all drove me over the edge. Covid and Argentina's economic situation aren't helping, I'll probably have to look into another, more stable job than freelancing 3D modeling to guarantee we have long term stability in my home. At least this past week I was able to do some 3D stuff, though nothing commissions related. These are two personal projects I started a looong while ago, but I hope to be able to finish now. First off, a Type-6 shuttle, in both the standard version we saw in TNG and a longer version. This longer take won't be the one we saw in 'Generations', but rather a custom mix of the ST:V Type-4 shuttle and the Type-6 (so, Type-5?), with longer nacelles inspired on the Type-9A from the TNG Technical Manual. I always though the Type-6 and Type-15 were too boxy and awkward looking for being brand new in TNG, so my head canon is that they're actually old by the 2360's, originally designed for use aboard Ambassador-Class ships. The Type-7 is thus the only "true" Galaxy-Class shuttle, but it was complemented by these older designs due to how well tested and cheap to manufacture they were. So I'm making this longer take to literally be the "missing link" between shuttle eras, and being mainly used on the Enterprise-C. And yes, you can guess where this is going, the other personal project I went back to is the Enterprise-C bridge. I reworked the lighting (again!), added the final modeling details, and started doing the remaining okudagram panels. I hope to be working on these two projects for now, but no guarantees given everything that's happening at the moment.
Sorry to hear about what you are going through, hope your partner recovers quickly! Nice work on the shuttles and bridge. Regarding the shuttles and development it could further be speculated that with how successful the type 6 was, and the type 7 not being widely adopted, then the type 8 from Voyager could have been developed as an updated type 6.
With the more recent additions of the Disco and Lower Decks shuttles, it now seems clear that there's a long line of boxy utility shuttles that complement whatever the hot stuff of the day is. I think I agree that the Type-6 nacelles and impulse engines seem much more Ambassador than TNG. It makes me wonder what a 'proper' TNG one would look like.
Yeah, I think the curves were just too complicated for the money they could afford to spend. I wonder if we would have ever seen the Type 6 if there weren't already shuttles from TFF for them to modify?
The Type-7 will always be the best Trek shuttle in my book, it looks as elegant as the Galaxy, while all other shuttles look more utilitarian. The original Type-6 concept art by Sternbach preceeds the TFF shuttle, but they couldn't do it due to budget (this is the shuttle concept I did in 3D years ago as the Type-17). If they didn't have the TFF shuttle to work with, my bet is they would've eventually either created a better full size mock-up of the 7 (still not the full thing, of course, but something deemed more passable); or they would've modified the 15 to be a bit less of a cardboard box; just like they eventually modified the 6 to be more streamlined for the Type-8. @The Librarian: I mean, the Type-7 was by all accords the 'proper' TNG shuttle. As for a TNG version of the Type-6, I can totally picture the Type-8 with TNG style nacelles being used aboard Galaxy and Nebula class ships into the 2370's and beyond. Some updates on the Ent-C bridge. I've finished the okudagrams surrounding the viewscreen. The one on the port side is completely made up, while the one on the starboard side is based on a couple of out-of-focus shots we got in the episode. I've also added some more graphics on the back stations, and some small spotlights above them to add more light to this back area. These spotlights were definitely NOT there on the original set (I checked on screencaps with edited brightness levels), but they were added just one episode later for the Enterprise-D cybernetic lab. They were thus also there for the last appearance of the battle bridge, as well as on the chronologically older USS Bozeman bridge. Because of all these other precedents I decided to add them here, the area is dark enough on the episode that we can imagine they were there all along, just offline due to the damage the ship sustained.
Seeing you work on this, with you also mentioning the BOBW battle bridge and Bozeman bridge in the same breath, kinda makes me hope/pray that you'll eventually do those two as well I've always loved the BOBW battle bridge!!
The budget really did them dirty when it came to shuttles; they couldn't even afford to do Sternbach's proposed Type-6 despite it having simpler lines. When they created the Type-8 for VOY, we only ever saw the interior set, or as a filming model. I'm guessing making the Type-6 match the exterior of a Type-8 was too difficult; on the few occasions that they needed to see the exterior of a shuttle ("Innocence" and "Coda"), it's the old Type-6. And they never even tried showing us a real physical exterior of either the Class-2 ("speedboat") shuttle or the Delta Flyer.
Doubt it. It made great economic sense to use what was made for a feature film with a big budget Looking good! Now off to watch "Yesterday's Enterprise" due to the itch you've just given me.
And I'm forgetting my Trek history; the only reason they were able to afford to build the interior and exterior of the TOS shuttlecraft was because AMT did it in exchange for being allowed to make plastic model kits of the various Trek ships.